October 2017 – Jimmy Clewes

ByRon Lindsay October 30, 2017October 11, 2024

World-renowned woodturner and instructor Jimmy Clewes provided an entertaining and informative full-day demonstration for members and visitors at the October meeting of Channel Islands Woodturners.

Chrystal C. discussed results of party survey

Dave S. announced slate of officers for next year

Lotusland items by Terry K.

Wood raffle items – pear, alder, eucalyptus

Jeimmy Clewes begins his demo

Good turnout for the all-day demo

Jimmy says no need to buy expensive grinding wheels – use cheap wheels and hone with diamond cards

His tools – he carries only one handle when travelling – dividers serves as multipurpose tool – opens paint cans

First demo project is large deep bowl of Podocarpus – teaching basic tool technique

Mounted on his favorite screw chuck – Oneway

Tenon sized to fit chuck for later hollowing – he prefers dovetail jaws but here using available Oneway serrated jaws

Cleaning up tearout with 3/8 gouge

Shear scraping with bowl gouge

Spraying with alcohol to raise grain before final sanding

Now reversed and hollowing with his “Mate” carbide insert tool – see jimmyclewes.com

Mate tool closeup – depth of cut is limited by design

Hollowing the bottom with 5/8 (for stiffness) bowl gouge

Completed bowl

Bowl bottom – tenon left for finishing

Second project is platter of figured maple

Cutting the ogee curve

Sketch of strong dovetail and ogee curve layout

Cleanup with small gouge

Shear scraping

Seal with shellac and finish with wipe-on polyurethane

Finishing products

Reverse and shape top rim – to be “coloured”

Raising grain – Oneway screw chuck at top

Coloring with royal blue aniline dye

Sanding in preparation for second color

Applying second blue shade

Adding yellow highlights

Blending with alcohol spray

Adding black line on edge

Spraying with lacquer

Video techs – they try to be in every picture

Then proceed to hollow

Power sand

Haze is from polishing compound on laquered rim – here finishing same as bottom – shellac and poly

The final look

Completed platter

Platter bottom

Third project is lidded box from Sheoak cube – held between centers using small cups on opposite points

Shaping to get three points and a tenon for later chucking

Rechuck

Wings cut with parting tool for starters

Remove center waste

Mark chuck dimension with dividers for internal reverse chucking

Hollow leaving rim for chucking

Reverse to shape foot

Shellac and poly finish

Prepare holly top to fit recess (and chuck) and undercut

Reverse chuck and shape finial

Completed box project

Fourth and final project is wooden flask – blank is 5x7x2.5 holly

Therm sides

Prepare tenon on base for chucking

Roughing out flask shape

Preparing to drill

Drill and refine opening

Held by screw chuck

True up

Cut tenon

Reverse and prepare recess for plug

Hollow leaving rabbet for plug

Prepare Plug from Maple wood

Insert plug and true up

Completed flask project – notice grain is aligned

Reverse side can also be plugged or just decorated with bead